Cure for the Blues
by DrkKni
Summary: Naruto returns from a mission seeking solace from his wife. Oneshot. NaruHina


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Naruto walked inside his house. He shrugged off his jōnin vest and dropped his weapons by the door before shrugging off his sandals. He cast his unusually downcast eyes around his dark home. He didn't think his wife was home, but he called out anyways.

"Hinata?"

After a moment of silence, he concluded that she wasn't home. He sighed and shuffled into the kitchen, grabbing a glass and pouring himself some water. After emptying the glass, he eyed a sake bottle in a cabinet and after a moment's hesitation he grabbed it and a cup, heading into the living room. He sat down on the couch and filled the cup, draining it immediately. He spied an orange book lying on the table. He leaned forward and picked it up. It was Jiraiya's latest book, but he didn't remember leaving it down here last night. He sat for he didn't know how long before he heard the door open and close.

"Naruto?" called out Hinata.

"In here," he responded, in a downcast voice. He heard her place her things at the door and walk towards him.

She turned on the lights, causing him to squint momentarily. They stared at each for a moment. Naruto noted that she was wearing a sundress, indicating she was probably teaching female arts at the academy. He smiled slightly, glad that she was able to do things she really enjoyed today. Hinata noticed Naruto was still in his field clothes and was still dirty. She noticed the sad look in his eyes and, even though he smiled slightly at her, it still looked empty. She finally noticed the bottle on the table and frowned. He never drank unless it was a special occasion.

"Naruto, how long have you been home?" she asked, moving towards him.

It took him a moment before he answered. "About an hour."

She frowned more. If was home that early, he would usually have gotten cleaned up and probably cooked dinner. She sat down beside, tucking her legs under herself. She wrapped her arms around his arm, and leaned her head on his shoulder. "How did your mission go?" she asked, suspecting that that was the problem.

She saw him frown out of the corner of her eye, indicating she had made a correct guess. "A success," he stated, not opting to give details.

"Oh, that's good," she said, not truly feeling happy about it. She couldn't with Naruto feeling bad. "Did everything go as planned?" When he didn't answer for a minute, she turned to look at his face. His frown was the same, but she could see it in his eyes. She could see that something terrible had happened today. "Naruto, what's the mat-" she finished in a squeak as she was suddenly lifted up and spun in the air, landing sideways in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her body, pushing his face into her neck and chest. She initially flushed at the intimacy, but she quickly suppressed when she remembered how upset he was. He was a very physical person in their relationship, a fact that took her a while to get use to. He was always hugging her and seems to want constant contact, nothing that she would ever feel uncomfortable with, beyond her natural shy nature. However, as much as he seems to love to touch her, he was hardly ever tender with her, reserving that for more special times. That was why his sudden vulnerable grasp of her was so disconcerting.

"Naruto-kun…" she said softly, stroking his hair and planting a small kiss on his scalp. "What happened?"

"I wasn't fast enough," he finally said, his voice dripping with guilt. "And a new chūnin died because of it."

She felt a tremor course through his body, but she knew he wasn't crying. "I know you did everything you could have," she assured him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pushing his head further into her. She had always seen Naruto as an unbreakable force, never breaking. After just a short while of being with him, she saw that he was more vulnerable than most, and it endeared him to her all the more, driving her to want to do everything in her power to make him feel better.

He shook his head at her words though, "No. I should've watched him more. It was his first mission."

"Naruto-kun, what would have happened if you had looked over him constantly?"

He hesitated before answering, "Our client would have died."

"And you would have failed, right?" When he nodded, she continued, "That's what makes you a good shinobi. No matter what, you complete your mission. I know you do everything you can to take care of everyone, but they have to take care of themselves, too."

Silence answered her, but his loosened grip of her told her that he was feeling better. She smiled. No matter what, he never kept down for too long. He would never forget the chūnin, but he wouldn't let it haunt him for long. She kissed him on the head again, "You're the best man I know, and I wouldn't have you any other way. People die, but I'm always glad that you come back home to me." She hugged his head, pouring all of her affection into him, making sure he felt her love for him. She suddenly grunted as Naruto crushed her in his arms, returning all her affection in his usual exuberance.

"You know why I love you?" he asked suddenly, his voice returning to its standard of happiness. "Because," he started, suddenly staring into her eyes, "you always can make me feel good. And I'll always come home to you."

She laughed, happy that he had turned back to the Naruto she knew and loved, "And that's why I love you, because you'll always be there and I know I can count on you."

She smiled as he buried his face back into her neck and she planted her in his hair, inhaling his musky scent. She was pulled back into reality when he kissed her neck, sending a shock down her spine. She tried to stifle her giggle, but it escaped her lips nonetheless. She knew she was in trouble when Naruto stiffened and she could feel a smile form on his lips. "No, Naruto don't-" she was cut off as he began attacking her neck with his lips, causing her to erupt in laughter. His hands moved from her back to her sides and began tickling just below her ribs. She tried to push away from him, but all she resulted in doing was falling back with him on top of her. He shifted his position to a more comfortable one that wasn't hurting either one of them before resuming his attack. Hinata by now was roaring in laughter and attempting to push him off, her physical strength paling in comparison to his prowess. He finally pulled his head back and stared at her laughing face, chuckling himself.

"I love it when you laugh like that," he said after she had quieted down somewhat. She blushed at the look he was giving her, and she blushed more when she looked down. In the confusion of their mock battle, he had somehow situated himself between her legs and her dress had bunched up around her thighs. He followed her gaze and returned, lingering on her body. He returned to her face to see a slightly disgruntled look on her face, "Enjoying the view?" she asked, trying to push down her dress, being hindered by Naruto's legs.

He smiled at her, "Very much."

She blushed further, and turned away from his gaze, but his fingers on her chin returned her to her former position. She lost all resistance at the intense gaze he directed at her. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, softly at first, but it quickly turned passionate as he pressed against her more and slipped his tongue out to lick her lips. She moaned slightly and returned his movements with as much or more passion as he was showing. Her hands moved from her dress to grip his sides, pulling his body into more contact with hers. His left hand supporting his body weight, his right hand moved from her side to her ribs and gently massaged the muscles.

She suddenly pushed him away grasping for breath. "N-no Naruto," she got out between breaths. "Not right now." She giggled at his disappointed look as he leaned back on his legs to a squatting position on the other end of the couch. "I need to cook dinner and besides," she started, bringing her fingers to pinch her nose, "you smell." He shot her a heated glare. "I'm sorry," she said, feeling a little guilty. "How about some homemade ramen to make up for your hard day?" As she expected, his face took a complete turnaround at the mention of her homemade ramen, something he said was even better than Ichiraku's. He suddenly leaned forward, placing his hands under her arms and kissed her lightly on the lips before he lifted his legs and somersaulted over her to land on the ground.

"Fine," he said after landing. She sat up to look up at him. "I'll go take a shower, and when I get out I expect some ramen with everything in it." He looked over his shoulder to smile at her before his head disappeared as he peeled his shirt off of his body. He stretched with his arms over his head. Hinata was suddenly caught up in staring at his toned body, completely devoid of scars thanks to the healing powers of the kyūbi. He turned and caught her staring at him.

He grinned, "Enjoying the view?" he asked, mimicking her from earlier. Hinata blushed as she was caught staring at him and turned away. She then smiled very Narutoish and mumbled her words, "Very much." She looked up him from beneath her bangs, expecting a little surprise at her unnatural playful manner, but all he did was smile cheekily at her. He threw his shirt over his shoulder and walked down the hallway to the shower, whistling to himself. She took a moment to collect herself before heading into the kitchen and grabbing a large pot to begin cooking.

"I'll cook something big to make him feel better," she told herself, before beginning to think about what all to put in the ramen. She was distracted as she thought of Naruto lying on top of her, kissing. She shook her head to clear away the thoughts, trying to return to her task. It didn't help when he turned on the shower and she imagined him in there, washing. She was suddenly hit with the image of him topless, and she blushed, not from embarrassment, but from excitement.

She put the pot down, frustration evident on her face. She smiled to her self as she reached behind her back for the zipper to her dress. "I know how to make him feel better," she said to herself, smiling devilishly as she walked towards the bathroom.

_The End_


End file.
